Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer's metaphor that equates layoffs with bloodletting is apt in that it draws attention to the cyclical, progressive weakening of a system (Cover Story, February 15th, Newsweek). Based on over 100 million years of experience, honeybees offer another analogy that underscores the point that layoffs are inefficient and just bad business. The equivalent to operating cash flow for honeybees is pollen intake that they predominately use as food for brood -- the baby bees. They manage pollen intake carefully and keep only a 3 - 5 day reserve on hand. Sometimes protracted harsh weather conditions can make the collection of pollen difficult, and their stores of pollen dwindle. Their first response, whether the need is for pollen or nectar, is to increase their R&D activity by sending out more scouts. Thus, their initial reaction is to find more and better sources of food and fuel for the colony. The second response is to cut back on brood production: essentially put a hiring freeze in place. The third and final response is to accelerate development of the oldest larvae and their movement into the field as foragers, and sacrifice the youngest bees: the threefold intent is to preserve the remaining pollen, protect their investment in the most mature bees, and have an adult foraging workforce available when conditions improve. Nevertheless, they absolutely do not want to get here because they will have lost a generation of young and will be sending undernourished bees into the field -- they will die young. In addition, the organization's division of labor and task scheduling is thoroughly disrupted and the bees are physically and experientially (that's right, it takes time to learn how to become a good forager) poorly equipped to efficiently forage. It may take years for the hive to recover, and there is a very good chance it will never recover at all. The last thing a colony wants to do is lose any bees because that loss in the natural world is often a precursor to death for all. The most basic premise found in the operations of the hive is to try to protect the future at all costs. If you have to start cutting employees, you should fully understand what it really means: you are not giving yourself the best chance to survive, but possibly entering a phase that will be painful, long, and possibly terminal.